The American left...will have to do the most intriguing and challenging rethinking of basic assumptions when Obama wins. For years now a central piece of the progressive worldview is that progressives are enlightened Americans in a sea of their ignorant, bigoted and narrow-minded compatriots. If you don't believe my assertion, see how many times in the comments section of a progressive blog, Americans voters are referred to as ignorant or uninformed, or eavesdrop at any progressive coffee shop or other hangout. Opposition to progressive causes is often explained away by saying that Americans are bigots, or somehow stupid. This demonstrates an ugly contempt for voters, and in fact for democracy, that should have no place in progressive politics.
Nonetheless, this feeling of specialness is a central part of progressive identity for many. For example, the tone often used to express disbelief that Obama could win, particularly early in this campaign, was often a mixture of anger with racism and a sense of self-righteousness from the speaker for being above that racism.
November 4th will almost certainly show these beliefs to be the nonsense that they are. After November 4th, whenever somebody belittles the intelligence or tolerance of the American voter the proper response will be "What about when we elected Barack Obama?" I hope for many this will be understood to be a sign that American voters can be more progressive, enlightened and thoughtful than had previously been believed. Obama will win because willingness to vote for somebody who looks different, and whose name sounds unusual, simply because he is the best candidate, is no longer the province of elites or an educated minority. This may cause progressives to rethink much of what they thought they knew about America, but it seems a small price to pay for an Obama presidency.
I'm not on board with Mitchell's assertion that we, as progressives, blindly view ourselves as better than the conservative right.
I am one of the "coffee shop" progressives that Mr. Mitchell references. I think that the notion that we are all believers in the assumption of right-wing stupidity and/or racism is overly simplistic. I don't think them "stupid" or racist in general terms. Some may be, but that's not the majority by any means. What I see is a Republican party that has proven it is not interested in "Joe the Plumber" or "John the Lutheran" or any other common low or middle-class American for any purpose other than a vote.
With this in mind, I see so-called "right-wingers" voting for candidates belonging to a party that says one thing and does something completely different. A party that promises to promote conservative policy or social agendas, but in actuality does little or nothing in regard to those promises. It has been the policy of today's Republican party to enrich themselves and their corporate "sponsors" at the expense of the very people they lied to in order to gain their vote.
An Obama victory doesn't change any of that. It just means that a small percentage of the electorate in the middle moved to the left for this particular election cycle and voted for Obama.
This coffee-shop progressive doesn't think the right-wing is stupid as a whole. I just think that a great many Americans on the right are generally uninformed as to who and what they're REALLY voting for.
About Barack Obama
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